Modern Fuel Design Minimal Pen Review and Kickstarter Wrap Up

First thing’s first, there are only 3 days left in this campaign as of today (December 5th) – so when you’re done reading this, run, don’t walk, over to the Kickstarter campaign if you want to pick up one of these pens. Modern Fuel is a company that makes premium writing instruments from the ground up. His popular Minimal Pencil and Pencil 2.0 are great writing utensils, and the pen is a great pairing to round out the set. I was sent a prototype to check out, so some of the design/functions are not final.

Updated Purchase link: www.modernfuel.com

Full disclosure: Andrew hired me to do the photos for his Kickstarter campaign. The ones you see here are for my own site’s personal use. I was not monetarily compensated for this review, but was for the photos in his campaign. 

On the outside, the pen looks about as simple as it can get.  A smooth, slim body is given a pleasant heft from the stainless steel that it’s made from. The pen is slimmer than my preference, but I don’t find it to be uncomfortable when writing. Each Modern Fuel pen is made 100% in the USA and from 100% metal – there’s not a single plastic part on the pen. The finishing is excellent too. To replace the refill, you have to unscrew the bottom of the pen. It’s so hard to find the break in the metal (super tight tolerances and excellent threading) that you’ll be surprised when and where the pen comes apart.

Andrew at Modern Fuel designed his own mechanical pencil movement for his pencil, and he went the same route with the pen. The click mechanism is custom-designed specifically for this pen. My prototype still needed a little bit of refining, as the click is hit-or-miss when catching the refill. The result is a bit of a “misfire” (for lack of a better word) – a click with no extension of the refill. The final version shouldn’t see this issue, but it’s worth mentioning. I do wish that the refill’s tip extended just a little bit more past the tip of the pen. Other than that, it’s hard to find something wrong or amiss in the Modern Fuel Pen.

Like his pencils, the Pen is available in four different materials. They are as follows:

• Titanium: Very light weight, well-balanced, and easy to carry.
• Phosphorus Bronze: Unique reddish brass color with an impressive hefty presence.
• Tellurium Copper: Rich orange hue, nice heft.
• Stainless Steel: Hefty, sturdy, and solid feeling.

On the Kickstarter page, you’ll find a list of compatible refills that work with the pen. There are plenty of good options on the list, so you’re sure to find one you like. Modern Fuel’s take on the buy-it-for-life pen starts at $110 for the stainless steel, copper, or bronze models and goes up to $180 for the titanium model. Again, there are only a few days left in the campaign, so head over there should you want to add one to your collection.

Buy the Modern Fuel Minimal Pen

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